Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE Dar es Salaam Rapid Transit Agency (DART) is gearing towards transporting 2.5 million passengers per day after huge infrastructure upgrades are completed in 2030.
Currently, DART owns 210 buses, ferrying about 180,000 passengers a day. The company is also looking to own more than 3,000 buses before the year 2030, which will be plying around Tanzania’s commercial capital, Dar es Salaam.
To minimize running costs and environmental pollution, the buses will be powered by natural gas.
This was revealed in Dar es Salaam over the weekend, during a one day workshop for editors that was organized by DART.
The workshop aimed at enlightening the editors on the introduction of an e-fare system for passengers, improving DART services and updates them on the implementation of infrastructure for expansion of DART to other potential areas.
“The government is implementing expansion of DART infrastructures which covers trunk and feeder roads and upon completion, the city will be having a total of 154.4 kilometres of roads network dedicated for DART business,” said Engineer Fanuel Kalugendo, DART’s Acting Director of Transport Development.
He said that the second phase of the infrastructures which links Mbagala suburb in Temeke District with the city centre` in Kivukoni and Gerezani as well as Magomeni terminals, is under construction and has been completed by 45 per cent.
“This is in conjunction with the current functioning Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system phase one linking Kimara to Kivukoni, Gerezani, and Morocco terminals,” he said.
He said the third phase will link city centre and Gongolamboto area, and it will have a stretch going through Buguruni area and Uhuru road, before joining the Gerezani terminal. The architecture designs are ready and tenders will be floated any time from now.
Eng Kalugendo also mentioned the fourth phase of the BRT system, will cover Ali Hassan Mwinyi and new Bagamoyo roads. It will link the city center and Mwenge area to Tegeta, while at Mwenge, another stretch will be constructed to link with the newly constructed Ubungo terminal and the tender will be floated before the end of this year.
The fifth phase will cover Mandela road from Kijazi Interchange to Nyerere Bridge past Mfugale Flyover along the Tazara area. Eng Kalungendo revealed that the government is in talks with some donors for a fifth phase project, which will have a stretch linking Tabata Segerea to Kinyerezi roundabout.
Also, Mwai Kibaki road will be linked with the BRT infrustructures to Lugalo. This will be the sixth phase according to Eng Kalugendo and will also involve improving special lanes from Kimara to Kibaha town in Coast Region.
He said while phase one was complete and offering services, phases two, three, four and five and six will be completed in between 2026 and 2030. He said that the government is holding talks with various donors to finance part of the planned projects and the French government has already shown a green light.
DART is also in the process digitizing its services with the aim of providing better services. The digitization will enable passengers to use mobile phone transactions to purchase tickets and introduction of software called Intelligence Transport System (ITS). This is according to DART’s Director of Operations and Infrastructure Management, Eng Ahmed Wamala.
He informed the workshop that the ITS installation, which is expected to be outsourced, will cost around 10bn/- and will relieve city commuters of long waiting times for buses at given stations.
“ITS will enable passengers to use an app to purchase electronic tickets at 20 stations out of the current 33, this will scan the QR code by the Points of Sales (POS) machines. We look forward for this service to cover all statins before June this year,”
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